It’s that time of year again! That’s right, Emmett, Al, Josh, and Graydon have all come together to decide the best games of 2025 in 16 categories. You can see the winners of each below, but if you want to hear how we came to these final picks, you can listen to the podcasts for each here, or click the Day headers for each section to go straight to that episode. But without further ado, let’s celebrate the winners!

Day 1

What Took So Long? (Games We Finally Played in 2025)

• Al – Stardew Valley
• Josh – Final Fantasy VI
• Graydon – Sleeping Dogs
• Emmett – Terminator Resistance

Biggest Gaming News: Dedicated to Vince Zampella

1. Giant Bomb Goes Independent 
2. Debate of AI in games (Arc Raiders, Clair Obscur, Epic Games, Divinity, SAG-AFTRA strike, etc)
3. Stop Killing Games Movement

Zeitgeist of the Year: Sponsored by Balatro

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Hollow Knight: Silksong
3. Blue Prince

Best Look: Sponsored by Harold Halibut

1. Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion
2. Sword of the Sea
3. South of Midnight

Day 2

Best Upgrade/Cash Grab/Re-Release: Sponsored by Persona 3 Reload

1. Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD 2D Remaster
2. Ninja Gaiden II Black
3. Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered

Games as a Helping Hand: Sponsored by Astro Bot

• PowerWash Simulator 2 (Al)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Josh)
• The Finals (Emmett)
• Lost Records Bloom & Rage (Graydon)

Best Debut Studio: Sponsored by LocalThunk (Balatro)

1. Sandfall Interactive (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
2. Dogubomb (Blue Prince)
3. Yellow Brick Games (Eternal Strands)

Most Fun: Sponsored by Astro Bot

• Overall: Sword of the Sea
• Mindseye (Graydon)
• Ninja Gaiden 4 (Al)
• Donkey Kong Bonanza (Josh)
• Suit For Hire (Emmett)

Day 3

Best Character: Sponsored by Astro Bot (Astro Bot)

1. Laurent (South of Midnight)
2. Kai (Avowed)
3. Shooty (Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion)

Best Ensemble Cast: Sponsored by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3. Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion

Best Performance: Sponsored by Anastasia Dyachuk (Indika)

1. Ben Starr – Verso – (Expedition 33)
2. Adriyan Rae – Hazel (South of Midnight)
3. Brandon Keener – Kai (Avowed)

Best Moment: Sponsored by Dragon Ball Kakarot DLC “Goku’s Next Journey”

1. The End of Act 1 (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
2. Leukemia (Lost Records: Bloom & Rage)
3. The Ending (Pokemon Legends Z-A)

Day 4

Best Narrative: Sponsored by 1000xResist

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. And Roger
3. South of Midnight

Most Wholesome: Sponsored by Kind Words 2

1. Sword of the Sea
2. PaperKlay
3. Herdling

Best Soundtrack/Score: Sponsored by Multiversus

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Rift of the Necrodancer
3. South of Midnight

Game of the Year

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
3. Sword of the Sea
4. South of Midnight
5. Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion